Les amants du cercle polaire

Your love's mother gets married to your father, she becomes your sister and you grow up together as brother and sister. What a story!!! And Julio Medem is a great director who made a very good film from this story. The movie is full of original ideas, this uncommon relationship requires an uncommon way of telling. The story builts up from mosaics so it keeps you interested in until the last minute because you have to put the pieces in order for yourself. It's a fantastic idea that we can only see the children (Otto and Ana) at the back seat of the parents' car going to school. They don't meet each other for years just at the car and they don't even talk to each other because their love is so deep and spiritual that words are unnecessary. Just secret touches, stolen moments. When the teenager Otto moves to his father's and stepmother's house because he wants to be next to Ana, they become real lovers. The first night together, when their spiritual love becomes physical, is a so gentle, innocent and discovering journey into the world of sexuality, that never been better put on screen before. The next scenes, where we can see them as secret lovers hiding from the parents are so beautiful that the last one hour, when Otto leaves Ana and works as a pilot and they don't meet for years, is one of the most sorrowful one hour in the film history. They are crossing each other's lines, but they never meet, and it causes a physical pain to the viewer. During these years they're getting to know more about themselves and their family, relationships, have some accidental meetings. Finally, years after they meet... The ending is as unusual as the whole movie, Julio Medem had enough talent to make a good ending which is the biggest risk of the movies - and he doesn't fail, leaves some doors open, because life doesn't finish, when curtain goes down. Full of surprises, one of the best film of the 90s. I highly recommend it to everyone who is tired of pink, unrealistic romantic films, and wants to see a really good, modern romantic film.

This is so beautiful, it hurts. Tender.

It is a lacy filigree in what it is, essentially a story about longing, urges and space. But that filigree extends to the nature of the space that surrounds the story on screen. And the motion of weaving extends further to the shape of the narrative threads which present the story and urges.

Some viewers will be put off by the structure. It may seem contrived or mechanical, though hardly more so than the usual way which rigidly starts at the beginning and rolls in only one direction. To others it may seem like a lot of unnecessary work. Well, it does require some engagement, but that's the nature of poetry. And unlike "Irreversible" and "Mememto" there's more to it than merely sharing the discovery of knowing with the main character.

I'm convinced that there is a mode of storytelling, the deepest, richest, most rewarding mode... a manner of structuring narrative in such a way that we are "folded" into the story, both watching and participating.

I further believe that the most powerful of folds have geometric structure. We are after all geometric thinkers at root. We think we live in a world of shape and form and reason about that world in the same way. All this is underscored in cinema, which reshapes that real world in ways that we can handle and examine. I'll go so far as to posit that the best art has a story, a presentation of that story and an annotation of the nature of art and presentation, all using the same strokes and shapes.

Geometric folds, cosmologies, readable structure.

Medem is our current master of this. His "Sex and Lucia" goes much further than this in the complexity of structure and the circularity of urge weaving future pasts. But this has an appeal in its simplicity.

As with "Lucia" (a scrambled "Alice" story), you can start anywhere "Hopscotch" -wise and build from there on reflection after leaving the theater. Were the lovers related? Was the girlfriend his mother? Did they even ever meet on the plaza? Did he die in the trees after weaving a happy virtual life? Or was it one circular boyish ejaculation under his bed? Along the way, look for airplanes: starting with a zillion paper airplanes thrown out a window with a message so dear that it changes everyone it touches. Overlap that with the image of having the courage to come back in through the (same) window and touch someone with love.

There are a few patterns in the lace here that you will take with you for the rest of your life. And anything that can do that, and do it using the language of dreams in such a way that makes love more lucid — if it can do that, you'll want to see it, handle it, co-invent with it — turn it over in your mind, a golden woven solid of wires as geometric urges.

And it is so much richer if you know the story between the filmmaker and his father to whom this is dedicated. And that Medem's own son plays the boy. Start with "Lucia." Its a masterpiece. Then absorb this.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

"Lovers of the Artic Circle (Los Amantes del Círculo Polar)" was basically "Next Stop Wonderland" crossed with "Map of the Human Heart" about a couple who fall in love as children and continue star-crossed throughout their lives.

The critics decried the theme of coincidence but it does in fact happen, so it was sweet here.

And yes they are both easy on the eyes and maybe that it's in Spanish makes them seem even more romantic.

I liked that the parents were real people who have problems and lives and grow and change.

The story line goes from each's perspective in flashbacks and current, illuminating thoughts and motivations, which seems to be a trend in movie-making.

Quite beautiful cinematography.

(originally written 5/2/1999)

This is one of those films that the less you know about it the better-- but GO SEE IT. This is one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen. It's a really magical, intricate, intense and beautiful film.

This film is also very hard to describe. You flip/flop from one perspective to another, learning what the events of the movie MEAN to each character. The connections are so intricate and complex, the visual storytelling so compelling, I was just blown away by this film, and I felt the rest of the audience was right there with me.

If you've seen and liked THE LOVER you'll like this-- it's one of those slow, languid, dreamy and beautiful movies about a true love that lasts beyond all circumstances. It's so intense one almost swoons watching it. The only other thing it reminded me of was the novel THE WHITE HOTEL. I know I sound like a huge flake, but I'm not! GO see this-- and try not to hear too much about it. You'll be converted. Really an EXPERIENCE. I'm saying it's the best of 1999 so far-- and I doubt I'll see anything better. GO! Now! Take a loved one!

--- Check out website devoted to bad and cheesy movies: www.cinemademerde.com

And this one does. The names of the protagonists are palindromes, Otto and Ana.

Life may be a palindrome. There is much talk of circles. The beginning of the movie may be the end.

Coincidences abound. Missed chances, never more exemplified than by the two lovers sitting unaware of each other in a cafe and moving along on another path for a while.

Haunting images of caribou, planes crashing, red buses, accidents that may or may not be happening. Newspaper headlines that could cover many similar events.

Destiny. Can we create our own? Is there just one soulmate out there for each of us? How does this movie end? All unknowns.

I was challenged, uplifted and mystified. Technically, the subtitles were very poor in places - white on white, frustrating.

Musically, very sombre, rather unnecessary. Children Ana and Otto beautiful, understated.

7 out of 10.